Chris Ellison was elected as Senator for Western Australia in 1993, replacing Peter Durack,[2] and immediately became involved in parliamentary committees and inquiries across a range of portfolios. He chaired the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee from 1993 to 1996, including chairing an inquiry which led to changes in Australia's treaty making process.[1]

Following the change of Government in November 2007, Senator Ellison was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. In addition, Senator Ellison was the Chair of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee.

On 17 September 2008, Ellison announced he would be resigning, stating that he would like to spend more time with his family.[3] However, he did not formally resign until 30 January 2009.[4] The casual vacancy caused by his resignation was filled by Chris Back.